And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
God Almighty.
Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Genesis 28:3 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
Genesis 35:11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
but by my name.
Exodus 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Genesis 12:7,8 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him…
Genesis 13:18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
God personally revealed Himself to the fathers of Israel and bound Himself to them by covenant. He promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, the land of Canaan, and blessing for all nations through his offspring. He reaffirmed those promises to Isaac and Jacob, preserving the covenant line despite barrenness, famine, conflict, and exile.
Gen 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said,…
Gen 26:24 and that night the LORD appeared to him…
Gen 35:9-13 After Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram…
as God Almighty,
God displayed His absolute power over human weakness and impossible circumstances. He gave Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age, protected Isaac, and multiplied Jacob’s family into the beginning of the nation of Israel. The patriarchs learned that God’s promises depend on His power and faithfulness rather than human ability.
Gen 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared…
Gen 35:11 And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful…
Gen 48:3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me…
but by My name the LORD
Israel would know God through His covenant faithfulness in a new and public way. The God who pledged Himself to their fathers would now act decisively to redeem their descendants from slavery, judge Egypt, and bring His people into the land He promised.
Exo 3:14-15 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are”…
Exo 34:5-7 And the LORD descended in a cloud, stood with him there…
Isa 42:8 I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory…
I did not make Myself known to them.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew and used the name of the LORD, yet they did not witness its full meaning in the national deliverance God was about to accomplish. Through the Exodus, God would demonstrate that He remembers His covenant, keeps His word, and dwells with the people He redeems.
Jhn 17:26 And I have made Your name known to them,…
Jhn 17:6 I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me…
Gen 32:29 And Jacob requested, “Please tell me your name.”…
The verse opens with God reminding Moses that He personally revealed Himself in history. This was not a vague influence but a real, tangible meeting with the patriarchs.
• Genesis 12:7; 17:1; 26:2; 46:2–4 all record moments when God showed up and spoke.
• Acts 7:2 echoes this reality, underscoring that the Lord of glory “appeared to our father Abraham.”
• These appearances establish a pattern of divine initiative: God takes the first step, ensuring His people know Him and can trust His promises.
Each patriarch experienced God’s presence in ways suited to his moment of need, yet all three were bound by the same covenant thread.
• Abraham—Genesis 15:1–6; 17:1–8: visions, covenant promises, and a name change.
• Isaac—Genesis 26:24: reassurance in a season of conflict and famine.
• Jacob—Genesis 28:10–15; 35:9–12: comfort in exile and confirmation of the covenant line.
These encounters reveal God’s faithfulness across generations (Psalm 105:8–10), forming the backdrop for the Exodus.
The title highlights God’s unstoppable power.
• Genesis 17:1: “I am God Almighty; walk before Me and be blameless.”
• Genesis 35:11: “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and multiply.”
• Genesis 48:3–4: Jacob reminds Joseph that “God Almighty appeared to me … and said, ‘I will give you this land.’”
By introducing Himself this way, God underscored His ability to protect, provide, and fulfill promises—even when circumstances looked impossible (Romans 4:18–21).
The small-caps LORD marks the covenant name revealed in Exodus 3:14–15.
• The patriarchs certainly used the name (Genesis 15:2; 24:12), yet here God signals a deeper unveiling of what the name means.
• The coming plagues, Passover, and Red Sea deliverance would display the LORD as Israel’s Redeemer, not only their Creator (Exodus 7:5; 9:16).
• Psalm 106:8 later reflects, “He saved them for the sake of His name, to make His power known.”
This statement contrasts degrees of revelation, not absence of information.
• The patriarchs trusted promises; Israel would now witness performance.
• They knew God could do anything; Israel would see Him overthrow an empire (Exodus 6:6–7).
• Revelation progresses: what began as personal assurances blossoms into national redemption and a formal covenant at Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:32–35).
Exodus 6:3 links past, present, and future. The God who truly appeared to the patriarchs as the all-powerful Protector now discloses the fuller weight of His covenant name through mighty acts of rescue. He is the same unchanging LORD, moving from promise to fulfillment so His people—and the watching world—may know Him in ever-richer ways.
(3) I appeared . . . by the name of God Almighty.—This name, “El Shaddai,” is first found in the revelation made of Himself by God to Abraham (Genesis 17:1). It is used by Isaac (Genesis 28:3), and repeated in the revelation made to Jacob (Genesis 35:11 ). Its primary idea is, no doubt, that of “overpowering strength.” (See the comment on Genesis 17:1.) The primary idea of “Jehovah” is, on the contrary, that of absolute, eternal, unconditional, independent existence. Both names were probably of a great antiquity, and widely spread among Semitic races; but, at different times and in different places, special stress was laid on the one or on the other. To the early patriarchs God revealed Himself as “El Shaddai,” because He desired to impress upon them His ability to fulfil the promises which He had made to them; to Moses and Israel generally, at the date of the Exodus, He insisted on His name Jehovah, because they were in the closest contact with polytheism, and had themselves, in many cases, fallen into polytheism (Joshua 24:14), against which this Name was a standing protest, since “the Existent” must mean “the Self Existent,” and so “the Only Existent.” (See Deuteronomy 4:39...Verse 3. - I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty. See Genesis 17:1 for the revelation of this name to Abraham, and Genesis 35:11 for its repetition to Jacob. We do not find the full name used by God in any appearance to Isaac; but Isaac himself uses it in Genesis 28:3. By my name Jehovah was I not known unto them. The explanation of this passage is by no means easy. God himself, according to Genesis 15:7, revealed himself to Abraham as Jehovah before declaring his name to be El-Shaddai (God Almighty); and again revealed himself to Jacob as Jehovah-Elohim (Genesis 28:13). Abraham named the place where he had been about to sacrifice Isaac, "Jehovah-jireh" (Genesis 22:14). That Moses regarded the name as known even earlier, appears from Genesis 4:1. It was probably as old as language. The apparent meaning of the present passage cannot therefore be its true meaning. No writer would so contradict himself. Perhaps the true sense is, "I was known to them as a Being of might and power, not as mere absolute (and so eternal and immutable) existence." This meaning of the word, though its etymological and original meaning, may have been unknown to the patriarchs, who were not etymologists. It was first distinctly declared to Moses at Sinai (Exodus 3:14, 15).Exodus 6:3 NIV
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OT Law: Exodus 6:3 And I appeared to Abraham to Isaac (Exo. Ex)